Interview with Wendy Lippman, General Manager and Resident Partner of Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village:
Sedona, Arizona 6:00 p.m. – Yes, we got a little bit of a storm here today! Pea-sized hail and heavy monsoon rains wreaked havoc on many parts of Sedona early this afternoon around 1 p.m. After hearing multiple reports of severe flooding at Tlaquepaque and Los Abrigados, I grabbed my cameras and headed down there to see for myself. Here’s what I found. Fortunately, no one was hurt. There were reports of some people being trapped in buildings for a short time until the storm passed and of course, there was some damage to businesses.
Crews are working furiously to clear the vehicles from the entrance to Los Abrigados Resort & Spa on Portal Lane where there are vehicles stacked on top of each other in the ditch, over the bridge and actually in Tlaquepaque near the Secret Garden Cafe. One car knocked over a 10 foot bronze statue by Chris Navarro. A couple inches of mud and debris cover the Tlaquepaque and Los Abrigados parking lots. The mud is feet deep behind Los Abrigados near the creek.
Thankfully, bulldozers and volunteers were already on sight clearing the debris and there was only minor cosmetic damage at both Tlaquepaque and Los Abrigados. Tlaquepaque plans to reopen tomorrow – some businesses even remained open today – and the events for one of Sedona’s biggest festivals, Fiesta del Tlaquepaque this Saturday are going to be on “rain or shine” according to Wendy Lippman of Tlaquepaque. Flooding has already receded, roads are clear and many volunteers are helping clean up the mess.
Lightning really does strike twice. The young owner of the vehicle pictured below works at the Renee Taylor Gallery in Tlaquepaque. A couple months ago, a tree fell at Tlaquepaque and her car was crushed. She just recently completed repairs on her vehicle. Today, it was the most damaged vehicle out of all those involved in the incident at Tlaquepaque and Los Abrigados. Looks like she was part of the “Cash for Clunkers” program!
Interview with owner of the above vehicle:
Behind Basha’s Shopping Plaza, there was a mudslide across Coffee Pot Dr. that washed two cars into a local carpet and flooring business. Immediately behind Basha’s stood about 6 feet of water – a small lake!
The flooding has receded and Tlaquepaque hopes to have most of debris cleared in time for one of Sedona’s biggest annual festivals, Fiesta del Tlaquepaque, this coming Saturday. Don’t let this mess deter you! Workers have already cleared most of the debris, businesses remain open and Sedona’s beauty is intact!
Interview immediately after Tlaquepaque flooding with Tlaquepaque Manager, Wendy Lippman
Wow! Great pics guys, and groovy to see Wendy Lippman interviewed at the scene of the chaos. We were in a meeting at Sedona Rouge, and we thought we had it bad. But this is remarkable! Only a few earlier today, I sat in one of Tlaquepaque’s shady plazas on the bench with lunch. Things couldn’t have been quieter, or more relaxed. – Dennis Andres, “Mr. Sedona”
Comment by Dennis Andres, Mr. Sedona — September 10, 2009 @ 8:50 pm
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Pingback by Eigentlich…- Lenormand Cafe — September 10, 2009 @ 9:52 pm
We were visiting from Wichita, KS, and spending some time at Tlaquepauqe when the storm hit on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009. We were there 5 hours before we could get to our car, the water was so high! We were so happy to see it had not floated away!!! What an experience!!! We won’t soon forget!
Comment by Pat & Bob Burch — September 20, 2009 @ 7:55 pm